Ruby Tuesday - Into the Wild Ruby Yonder...

Ruby Tuesday brings me back to an air show in CT in 1985. This is a pair of aerobatic stunt planes making that sharp, nearly vertical climb to the safe altitudes before they perform their nearly vertical dive toward the ground, pulling up at just before the seemingly (to the viewer) last gasp of altitude before the danger of the ground coming up to hit them. But not to worry, their power (250-300 HP), the light weight (~1400 lbs / 640 Kg) and large lift producing wings keep them off the ground. The artistry and skill of the pilots giving us on the ground a look of amazement as they continue their routines to a safe landing. The red stripes don't hurt, either...See the number of wonderful rubies at Mary's always fun meme!

Sepia Scenes - Sepia Splash

Ah, Sepia Scenes returns at the end of summer, humid days and such. Vacations to relax and do as little as possible. A fine reason to visit the land of 10000 Lakes, more specifically the northern Minnesota watering hole known as Big Stony Lake near Park Rapids, very close to the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The year being 1983, in a place where the fish and mosquitoes are equally plentiful...

My subject today is Brandy, and a nicer doggie than you could possibly imagine. You could throw that branch into the water fifty times, and the dog would retrieve it and drop it at your feet for the fifty-first toss. The sepia seems appropriate as the light blonde Golden Retriever is a sort of sepia in color anyway. Where work is play to a great dog !

Ruby Tuesday - Sweet Harvests

My Ruby Tuesday posting is late this week, We brought Cameron back to college yesterday, and missed the posting. Allegra goes back tomorrow, and the cats will be totally confused! Anyway, I am using a shot that utilizes garden tomatoes, Sweet 100s in this case. I decided to create an antipasto for a meal which included Genoa Salami and Capicola Ham as well as a briny Mozzarella - a great mixture of sweet and salty. A nice ruby of a meal , with the red fruit the anchor. See Mary for many other red gems!

Looking at the Sky - Pastel Reception

Looking at the Sky compels us to look above for colors, shapes and textures of interest. I am unsure of the date, maybe a pre or post-storm, I cannot say. But it seems that our neighbor's mast antenna seemed to be channeling (bad pun!) the pink and lavender heavens over the Ansonia Uplands. The reception here is fine, no need to look at a monitor or television for stylish views, the view upstairs is the best of all. See Tisha's heavenly meme!

Sepia Scenes - Steubenville Span

Sepia Scenes is the monochrome meme made up of soothing sepia. I notice that many things can distract from the shapes and forms of mechanical (not organic) designs.

I had posted this view in color before, but thought that a sepia take shows the stylish US 22 bridge over the Ohio River on our way from West Virginia to Steubenville, Ohio. The modern (1997) span is a cable-stayed bridge made up of concrete and other things. As the pre-stressed concrete on the towers and roadway is already gray, sepia tones smoothes things out. The beautiful and functional shape sits before us and gracefully reaches to the sky.

See Mary's site for many more excellent monochrome styles!

Ruby Tuesday - Beginnings

It is hard to believe that daughter Allegra will be a Senior at U-of-Hartford starting next week. A Ruby Tuesday reminiscence takes us back to September 1, 1993 and where it all began - Kindergarten.

Yes, she began her formal education all those years ago. Plenty of ruby in her first day of school outfit, a magenta skirt, and pink backpack.

Happy she was then to start and yet one year to go now. Memories are plentiful, and perfectly enhanced in ruby!

Looking at the Sky - Autumnal Pastels

We all look up to see the myriad colors that grace the skies. In any time and season, we view the sky as it is, and even if the view is stormy, the beauty. Looking at the Sky is fun, and there is no shortage of clouds that attract our interest. The date stamp on the image suggests Autumn, here not the brilliant foliage, but the changing seasonal sky. This is in our back yard and the moisture in the clouds gives us a nice pink and lavender hue. See other views of above at Tisha's fun meme.

Sepia Scenes - Dodging rememberences

Sepia Scenes is a fun pursuit. So what better way to try out our new Mac Mini photo software I-Photo than to sepia-fy an old print from the Queens of my youth. Mary might remember an amusement park known as Kiddie City in Douglaston or Little Neck. Judging from the age of the photo and time of year, we are there in 1961-2 being chauffeured around in Grandpa's 1961 Dodge (an almost sepia beige itself, as I remember...). Cute kids we see, sisters Michele, Claudia and Vicki smiling because Ralph I said something or anything silly to elicit a chuckle from the grandkids - it worked fine here! Find your fun photogenic memories in a monochrome sepia...

Ruby Tuesday - Reflections

Ruby Tuesday arrives, and since the old computer won't start up, I can't find an appropriate ruby. Happily, the MacMini arrived today, and Cameron will obtain the data on the hard drive and place on the Mac tomorrow. Of course, no pictures until then. So I am utilizing subtle rubies from the past.

Last year we attended the Ansonia Harvest Festival which included old cars, proudly shown off by their loving owners.



My fave was this ruby '55 Ford Fairlane. This was a great restoration with the shiniest chrome ever seen. Chrome highlights The bumpers were reflective like a mirror (no shine like this from the Ford factory assembly plant, no doubt).

I had to take the shot of me shooting the finest looking bumpers made in Detroit. Front or rear, a ruby/chrome harvest!

Looking at the Sky - Wheat Fields Forever

Looking at the Sky returns, and I offer a simple view of the vast expanse of sky. In my younger and thinner walking days of 1983, I set foot in a gigantic wheat field in North Dakota. These farms are so different than the hilly land of New England. Flatter with far more rich topsoil here than the sandy and rocky turf we enjoy here. This sky is chosen as a typical Midwest summer sky, expansive with hot 95°F (35°C) temps, and the massive humidity - you can almost see the droplets of moisture dissipating over the plains. The amber waves of grain are literal and real, a bronze grain stretching to the horizon. See Tisha's fun meme and expand your horizons

Sepia Scenes - The plural of Ralph is...

Sepia Scenes, as per usual, brings me back in time. Monochrome memories are are a treat, the aged qualities a nice sepia enhances. Today, we travel back to 1957 on the observation deck at the Pittsburgh Airport. Grandpa (Ralph I) is to the left and Dad (Ralph II), flying back to NYC, is on the right. Notice how people also dressed up to fly in those days. Even Grandpa dressed up (minus the tie) to drive dad to the airport! The TWA plane is a Martin 404, and no doubt, a propeller turning turbulence magnet bouncing through the clouds. The past seems more alive in our favorite monochrome!

Ruby Tuesday - Eye Catching

Ruby Tuesday arrives with an odd look. Sorting through digital images from our earliest days of digital photography (2002), I found this, the complete unedited view. I don't know the circumstances, but my ruby visage highlights my eyes. So what does my expression mean? Surprised (but not startled)? Smiling (but no visible laugh lines)? The mystery deepens...This view picture might be described by ancient Rome's prolific statesman Cicero: "The mirror of the mind is the face, its index the eyes..."